Bascule-bridge.



NO- 780.193. PATENTED JAN. 17, 1905.

J. A. JOYCE.

BASGULE BRIDGE.

APPLIDATIGN FILED SEPT. 29, 1904.

2 SEEETS-SHEET 1.

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ire Brass Patented January 17, 1905.

JAMES A. JOYCE, @E CLEVELAND, UHIO.

BASCUl..llEBHiDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. I780,193, dated January1*?, 1905.

Application filed September 29, 1904:. Serial No. 226,520.

To all, whom t iii/(ry con/cern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. J oren, a citizen of the United States.residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Uhio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Bascule-Bridges, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to bascule-brid ges withvertically-moving leaves whose free ends join at the middle when thebridge is closed and ready to receive traffic.

My principal object is to provide an improved means by which the meetingends of the vertically-moving leaves may be freely and easily joinedtogether so that the stresses may be transmitted from one to the otherand so that the change in length of the vertically-moving' leaves due tothe change of temperature may be freely made and so that the friction injoining the free ends may be reduced to a minimum.

In the accompanyingl drawings, which illustrate my invention, similarletters of reference represent corresponding parts in the various views.

Figure l shows a side elevation of the two ends of a bridge withvertically moving leaves. Fig. 2 shows a top view of Fig. l. Eig. 3shows a sectional View of Fig. l looking from the middle toward theverticallymoving leaf A. Eig. A shows a sectional View of Eig. l lookingfrom the middle toward the vertically-moving leaf B. Fig. 5 shows a sideelevation of a bascule-bridge with the pier supporting the bridge andthe general arrangement of the joining together of the leaves. Fig. 6shows contact-switches.

A represents the end of one of the vertically-moving leaves of abascule-bridge, and B represents the correspondingend. These leaves arealike except at the adjoining ends and are usually formed with aplurality of trusses or girders which support the floor system. Leaf Ais of structural-metal con struction. designed as in ordinary practiceand having a tongue Al projecting from the end of the same. The tongueA' is designed to interlock with the double tongue B. and the saidtongue A' is arranged to rest and roll on the roller B2 at the end ofleaf B. Leaf B is of same construction as leaf A and having a doubletongue B projecting from the end of the same. The double tongues B aredesigned to interlock with the single tongue A', and the said doubletongues B are arranged to rest and roll on the rollers A2. When the freeends of the leaves join together at the middle when closing, the tongueof one leaf rests on the roller of the other, and the sides of thetongues are slightly beveled to guide them in joining together. Therollers may have bevel-grooves cut in their faces and the tonguesbeveled to correspond with the rollers, which may be used as aineans ofguiding the free ends of the leaves together. After the free ends of theleaves are joined suiiiciently to let the tongues rest on the rollersthe free ends of the two leaves roll together to a final horizontalposition, and when expansion or contraction takes place the roller actsas an antifriction means of taking care of the changes in length due tochanges of temperature. As the tongue of one leaf rests on rollers ofthe other, any vertical sheer due to partial loading' may be properlytransmitted from one leaf to the other, and by the tongues bearingagainst each other transversely any unbalanced wind-load may betransmitted from one leaf to the other, or the rollers may be groovedand the tongues beveled to correspond with the rollers. This wouldprovide for the transmission of transverse or unbalanced wind-load.

In operating the bridge the leaves A and B are raised simultaneously toany desired height up to the limiting-points, where they areautomatically stopped by engaging an electric switch S and S, whichshuts olf the current and sets a brake on the motel'. 1n the closing ofthe bridge a switch in the operators house is thrown by the operator torelease the brakes on the motors and throw on the current to reverse themotors to run for the closing of the leaves. The leaves A and B aresimultaneously lowered until the leaf A reaches an intermediate positionthat will just allow the leaf B to pass the leaf A without striking it.When this position is reached, the leaf A is automatically stopped byengaging switch S2 and S3, and the leaf B continues IOOy on its downwardmovement until it reaches an intermediate position, where the tongue Aon leaf A will when further lowered come in contact with the upper sideof roller B2. At this position leaf B is automatically stopped and leafA is automatically started down by engaging switches S* and S5. Justbefore tongue A' reaches roller B2 the brake on leaf B is released bythe switch S6 and S7, so that when the tongue A rests and rolls on therollers B2 the tongue B/ rests and rolls on the rollers A', thus causingthe two ends to roll in together as they are lowered to their iinalposition. These rollers make it much easier to bring the interlockingends together and also provides a roller-bearing' for the variousmovements that take place at the middle of a lift-bridge, such asexpansion and contraction and stretch in the girders or trusses underdiiferent conditions of loading.

It is plainly evidentthat my invention may be modified in minor details,such as rounding the corners of the interlocking tongues, making' V-shaped faces in the rollers, and tongues arranged to slide in the same.The spirit of my invention is intended to include such changes.

It is not my intention to cover the combination of electric switches inthis application, but I will make separate application for same. I haveintroduced them here to clarify my description of the operation. of thecenter sheer-lock, and the switches are merely marked where they come,which when engaged one to the other cuts oiil or completes an electriccircuit to accomplish the purpose as described. The movements of theleaves as outlined here are controlled by electric motors. Steam-enginesor gas-engines may be substituted as circumstances may require.

rollers and a projecting tongue at the end of the correspondingvertically-moving leaves, the tongues of the leaves arranged tointerlock and rest and roll on rollers of the corresponding leavessubstantially as shown and described.

2. In a bridge of the class mentioned having two vertically-movingleaves meeting at their free ends, the combination of these leaves withsingle and double tongues having bottom roller bearings, lateralbearings, curved or beveled jaws on the tongues, arranged to rest androll when the two leaves are interlocked substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. In a bridge of the class mentioned having two vertically-movingleaves meeting at their free ends, a roller with V-shaped face, aplurality of projecting tongues at the free end of one of theverticallymoving leaves, arranged to fit in V-shaped faces of rollers, aplurality of rollers having V-shaped faces and a projecting tonguearranged to fit in V- shaped faces of rollers at the end of thecorresponding vertically-moving leaves, the tongues of the leavesarranged to interlock and rest and roll on rollers of correspondingleaves, substantially as shown and described.

JAMES A. JOYCE.

Writnesses:

R. W. BUss, T. MALEY.

